Internal Affiars
by Theleafylord
Summary: 20 years after John Mandrake's death, the world is different. Magicains are no longer in control, but they're still dangerous. And there is one department who's job it is to ensure they cease to endanger.
1. Epilouge of dreams

It had taken a while. We were hunters, but the person we were chasing wasn't prey.

Which kinda upsets things, to be honest.

We had been following him for several days. We knew little of him except that he has broken the biggest law we had.

He trained magicians.

"Sir…" said my foliot, winking suggestively. Don't ask. I tried to go in for maximum effectiveness with minimum personality, but, it somehow never worked. "The target has barricaded itself in a warehouse. We can see no guards nor any sign that he has protected himself.

"See Mark?" asked my partner, Hilary smirkishly. "He isn't nearly as good as you thought."

I paused. The warehouse door stood before me. "Stop." I said, before she could go in.

"Why?" she asked. Her Djinn, which was currently an angry plant bird thing, wrapped its tail around her.

"I'm not worried about how smart or talented he is. I'm worried about how sane he is. Smart magicians are dangerous, but not…and I should stress this, hazardous. The only 7th rank ones are in America at the moment anyway…" I let the thoughts die. Even these days, when everyone is supposedly equal, people are actually stupid enough to bring themselves down.

"So? Out target lacks any of those…dangerous qualities…he's just a man who thought the government was dumb." she said impishly. Really, I mean impishly. Hilary was thin and dark haired. Too bad real imps don't look like her.

"He has one quality that makes him far more dangerous. Insanity. And a summoning horn." I watched as she took a deep breath. "Yes…no circle. Just his power. Even a non magicians who knows enough and has potential power can summon just about anything with it. If we handle this wrong…"

"I don't hate the fact that you're right." she sighed. "I just hate you."

Well, a typical day so far then.

The man was already bleeding when we went in. The broken summoning horn lay at his feet. He couldn't control what he summoned. We almost sneaked up on him when…

"MASTER HE'S RIGHT THERE!" yelled me foliot on his hardest.

I am going to study new ways of torturing demons, just to use it on him.

The man stared up at us, limp white eyes grinning. Grinning madly.

"Ah…it appears I am…caught." he whispered, the blood trickling down his mouth.

"Yes…a masterly summation." I said. "Now…before you bleed to death I have some…questions for you."

"Ah! But of course. I will serve the valiant authorities. I will now…spill my guts…in every sense of the word." I had the bad idea of looking at his stomach. Not a good idea.

"Okay…basically…" said Hilary. "Why were you teaching magic, knowing full well the consequences of such an act?"

"Simple!" he said joyfully. "I am aiming to spread anarchy, discontent and general chaos! Next question!"

I paused. Yep….first rate nut job…but something isn't right. "How were you planning to do this?" I asked, dreading his reply.

"Another easy one! I found orphans with large, wonderful untapped reserves of magic, easily would've made it to the 6th level in our just system and taught them basic summoning!" he smiled, as if he was rewarding us.

"Right." said Hilary. "He's crazy. Let's toss him in the chamber and call it a night."

"No…" I said, chillingly. "That wasn't all you did was it? There was something else…what was it?"

"Oh dear…we have a clever one! One who realizes that anyone who can spend hours drawing chalk lines in exactly the same way can't be completely insane! All though it did add to it, I might say." he laughed, tossing his head back. I tried to figure out his age…thing is, we didn't have levels anymore, not really. He had to be referring to our old system of government.

"We'll Mister Mike Travis, and your foliot who's hanging around, and Miss Hilary Manson, with your two Djinn…" he chuckled as we both panicked. How did he know all this? "I taught them how to use summoning horns.., and gave them each a nice Madrid's name to summon in case they get…in danger."

"And the way you dismiss these creatures was an unfortunate gap in their education?" I asked.

"Dismiss them? Why would they want to? They think the creatures will serve them." he suddenly stood. "It's been a pleasure gentleman. And woman person. But I must leave."

Before I could act Hilary already send both her Djinn to apprehend him. However, the both screeched to a halt right in front of him.

"Oh how precious…" he whimpered. "Look…your magic is of air and fire. No match for mine. And if you'll excuse...me…it's been a pleasure…" There was a flash of darkness, a strong smell of earth…and he was gone.

My name is Mike Travers. Hunter for Internal Affairs.

I am, strictly speaking a magicians. Or rather, a hunter magician.

See, since Britain ascended from magical rule, they realized one important fact.

The rest of the world's magicians weren't going to stop.

Basically…there had to be a magicians army to stop other countries magicians. There was also severe experimentation going on, especially concerning a cheaper anti demon material than silver. People were seeking to completely overtake magic with technology.

Until that happy day comes…we're still going to have agents like me keeping people from learning magic for personal reasons.

My job title is long, eloquent and sounds like I'm there to serve the people. What it means, is quite simply that I am to kill any unauthorized magic users.

It's what I do.

It's what I do very well.


	2. Silver mind prisons

"Travers!" yelled the head of Internal affairs blandly. "What happened with your target?" She wasn't yelling because she was angry. She was yelling because she felt I deserved it. My track record was flawless. Not "you're nicked!" after 5 seconds flawless, but still. I was…persistent.

"He is temporarily re-eluding me." I said.

The head of affairs bit her lip. She was beautiful, in that very funny way looking off a very steep cliff is. She hasn't aged much. Or rather, she aged very well. Standing there, in a red suit was the head of internal affairs, Jane Farrar.

"So you haven't caught him yet. Do you have any leads? Information?" she asked, tapping her mahogany desk.

"Yes. He is an devout anarchist with either a lack of sanity or an abundance of twisted humor. And he uses…worrying magic."

Her eyebrow lifted. "Worrying magic?"

"Yes…it's odd, but he managed to completely take control of Hilary's Djinn. And he said something about their "air and fire" magic being no match for his." I said, taking note of her facials expressions. Little was known about her past, except that she did serve in the old system, and managed to survive the political change.

No one really knew how she managed to keep a position, any position but there was a large lack of talented magicians after the glorious demon revolution. Many people reckon she took the position of training the new magicians in order to create a group with which she could reform the old magician government. But there was one thing she hadn't counted on.

The elite corps. Or rather, the Resistance, named in honor of some long time ago anarchy group. Apparently, some commoner with the so called magical resistance managed to learn how to summon and so forth. She also had an accomplice who taught her a lot more. Together, they trained a lot of the other commoners with magical resistance to use magic. And thus the Resistance was born.

Highly immune to most attacks by other magicians, some even capable of seeing all seven planes, and of course all being very, _very _powerful magicians, not even Jane Farrar would be mad enough to talk them on. Or rather, take them on yet.

"I'll be blunt with you Travers. Other than our magic, there is little else worth concerning yourself about. However…" she tense. "There _is _another kind. Called earth magic. It naturally repels Djinn and the other beings of air and fire. However, there have been few applications of it, the last being that of the golems."

She shuffled some papers anxiously. "I suggest you go down to those laboratories and ask Kruger about it. He is mad enough to know something about it."

"Yes, sir." I said, knowing full well maa'm was not something you called Jane Farrar if you wanted to live.

"Oh and Travers…" she said. "I heard you still go on to most missions accompanied only by a very….frisky…foliot…might I ask why?"

"I do not believe power is the deciding factor of my success." I said. "I rely more on intelligence.

"Oh? And how do you determine which demons are intelligent?" she asked, leering at me.

"I ask them riddles and charge them to give an answer to the best of their abilities." I said, redoing all the buttons on my coat. It was a nervous fetish of sorts.

"And then you keep the ones who answer the riddle correctly." she finished. "Not conventional but there are those who favor…"

"No." I said. "I keep the ones whose answer is completely wrong, very clearly put, with perfect pronunciation and with no possible double meaning. My charge is, in fact the riddle. If they're smart, they can figure the riddle out. If they're smart enough for me, they figured out that my charge only says the answer must be given perfectly. It doesn't say the answer has to be right."

She paused. She was appraising me. No one really knows much about me to be honest. "Go to Kruger." she finally said. "And frankly, the chances of you staying on this assignment is very low. If the target can control demons and use magic, it will have to go to the Resistance. "

I nodded. It was to be expected. It wasn't to be liked.

The wonderful place I'm going to now is the single most expensive laboratory in the history of well…history. It's not the largest, far from it. Nor is it filled with the rarest chemicals or most expensive equipment.

No. It's just almost completely enclosed with silver.

This laboratory was built with a single idea in mind. How can we kill demons without magic? It was part of our Prime Ministers dream to remove magicians completely from governmental issues. It attraced some rather strange researchers. The weirdest of them was Kruger.

Kruger was in the academy with me. He finished second. I was third. I'm not even going to mention who came first.

"Ah! Mike…." he said cheerfully as I walked through the silver door. "Got anything interesting for me? " Despite this, he was already examining something through a microscope. "Yes…" he concluded. "It is very tiny."

"Um…maybe. Are you familiar with earth magic?" I asked.

"Ah! Earth magic! Our very own counterpart to the Otherplace's nourishing energies! Not named earth magic because it of the so called earth elemant, which as you know isn't really an element but really just a mistake made by the elder alchemists…"

"Jared…" I said, calling him by his first name. He hated that. He was obsesses by either being called Doctor or Kruger.

"Ah yes…I am going off point. What I mean is, earth magic is quite simply any force which drains the power of the demons of air and fire. Silver, is the most profound example, for lack of a better word, "draining" their fire to cause a sensation which is best described as "burning cold."" he stopped, shuffling someone else papers. There were only three other researchers. To date, they all still hate Kruger.

"Illuminating." I said briskly. "Do you know of any form of earth magic that can stop a demon from moving?"

He paused, and I finally saw some genuine interest in his eyes. "You better tell me exactly what happened." he said, pressing several buttons. An imp flew in and brought him some coffee.

I told him exactly what happened, trying to get him to focus on the fact that the anarchist knew our names. That wasn't supposed to happen. Our names are…let's just say, hidden to the public eye. And no, Mike Travers isn't my birth name.

"Not earth magic." he said. "Not even Leow, could do something like that with it. See, golems don't "wrap" themselves in darkness. What really happens is that light is drawn into the golem, also giving it the energy for incredible strength. Now…the main reason I can tell you it isn't earth magic is this. The Djinn showed no signs of wanting to flee. Earth magic hurts them, it doesn't stop their movements in any way."

"So…what other kind of magic could he possibly have?" I asked, dreading the answer's length.

Kruger's eyes gleamed. "You are aware that madrid's aren't the strongest possible demons, yes?"

"Yes. They are merely the strongest conventionally summoned." Damn. I was having flashbacks from the academy.

"Now…the strongest demons, summoned from the heart of the other place bring parts of the other place with them. This isn't on purpose. To put it simply, their essence is so large that the hole between our worlds…leaks. Have you heard of the Gabrielle incident?"

I shook my head, residing myself to the inevitable.

"Very well. Gabrielle was the second most powerful demon summoned. Or rather, the most powerful demon summoned. We have uncovered the name of a more powerful being but…no one has been mad enough to summon it. Gabrielle's summoning had three major problems. One, she was just too powerful. Any punishment a magician can issue would scarcely be felt. Even an afrits Detenation is of no concern. The second…there was no god damn circle. I repeat…they thought they didn't need a circle…third…the whole order thing. It took twelve magicians to summon her. Not strong magicians, but rather the runts, who were trying to retake Atlantis for themselves."

"And Atlantis isn't around anymore." I said quietly.

"Travers…not even Atlantis's rubble is around anymore. " said Kruger with equal quietness. "But…I am not suggesting that your magicians friend summoned Gabrielle. The point of my little explanation is that these entities make holes to the other place. When other demons come in contact with these holes, they are…stuck, shall we say. Pulled home while simultaneously kept by the strength of the bonds magicians forced on them."

"So… he actually opened a hole or holes to the other place and trapped them with it?" I asked.

"That would appear to be the case. Except that it's impossible, it would very well be the most apparent answer."

I walked out of the silver door feeling slightly nervous, confused and depressed. All normal by products of talking with Kruger. Unfortunately, outside there was an even less welcome sight.

A tall man with long tobacco colored shoulder length hair. He was wearing a business suit, the kind that screams secret agent. I managed to look like a cross between a cross between an optimistic undertaker and a private detective mostly but this guy…

Was number 5 of the Resistance. They had numbers instead of code names. I don't really know why. Now…let me put things in perspective for you. An afrit…is dangerous. A Madrid who knows your birth name and has an fixation with sharp objects….that's very dangerous. But number 5…the other two don't even come _close. _

"Ah…Travers." he said calmly, walking towards me. "I trust I find you well?" He extended his hand, which I shook tentatively. Civil…this man's actions could be taken straight out of a book on etiquette. The feeling that he wanted to kill you very badly ruined it though.

"Yes, sir." I said promptly. "And there has been no problems on your end?"

"Quite." he said. "Now…this….assignment you are on. I have orders that you are to be re-assigned. I shall oversee this particular assignment myself. Your cooperation is appreciated. " He took out papers. I tried to remain calm.

"Your new assignment is one I personally decided you should go on." he appraised me with one eye. Glassy green. The ones who could see all seven plane's eyes looked like that. "Your target is a run of the mill –magicians are better than everyone else- protestor. He's delusions of grandeur run so far he insists on calling himself the spidermind. Everything you need…is in this envelope." He bowed slightly, and walked away. I almost managed to breath again. This man…was not…he just….arrghh. Look, he's intimidating okay? And he also happened to be number one in me and Kruger's class…and knowing how he was as a boy…somehow makes it worse.

"Excuse me sir…" I said politely. "Isn't it strange that so many magical anarchists have been popping up recently?"

"Yes." he said. "It is. However, we will not allow this country to return to magical tyranny. It is our sworn duty to kill every last one of them." He walked away. My old laughing best friend walked away.

"Hey partner." said Hilary bitterly as I walked into my office.

"Get our guns." I sighed. "We're going spider hunting."


	3. Concerning chapter 5

Guns. Amulets. Even silver daggers. We hunters had sort of a friendly forced request to go for minimal demonic aid. It may perhaps, hinder us, but these days so many people can see demons that walking with even one gives you away. Personally, I keep my Foliot in my sleeve. He, as may have been noted, hasn't grown found of me yet.

"Any specific caliber or bullet type…?" said Hilary, leaving a pause which should've been filled with "sir" but quite obviously wasn't.

"No." I said, glancing at the file. "Our target is…stupid. Yes, lets settle for stupid." I was wondering about that. Why would someone like number 5 be assigned to a target like this?

"What do you mean?" asked Hilary, already drawing pentacles. To me…well, reliance on demons was unprofessional. But that may have just been my…upbringing.

"He is, or rather was, our old ambassador to Japan. He is an unfortunate relic of the old system that was forgotten there. Upon returning about fifteen years ago, he attempted a take over with the aid of several hired Japanese magicians. He figured we had abandoned demons all together…"

"Let me guess…the Resistance?" asked Hilary, double checking some of the marks on the floor. From what I could see, she was planning to summon a Djinn of medium power.

"Yes… the Resistance. It took only two members to kill all of them. Except of course, our target. He was last seen in London's docks…it's suspected he's raised enough forces to try again." I shook my head at this. No one could be that…ill informed.

"Oh…so number 5 was supposed to wipe out him and any help he had?" asked Hilary getting into position for the summoning.

I didn't like this assignment. It was too…unlikely. My other assignment…what has been going on? We've established that no one was going to summon demons without us knowing, why were people still trying? And why now? "Narzeth…" I said, snapping my fingers. The foliot gleefully materialized in front of me.

"Yes…hey Hilary are we not calling him sir today or not calling him mister travers?" he asked, looking at my partner.

"Not calling him sir." She grinned. Her Djinn sat in its pentacle, having chosen the guise of a spider. Not particularly scary, but impressive looking.

'Good…yes…?" he said, bowing slightly, his guise of a miniature rat person not enriching my life.

"We have a new assignment…I want you to read these documents and tell me what you think…with no sarcasm or attempts at deceiving me…" I sighed slightly as his massive grin returned. "Or I shall tie your essence into a silver can filled with rosemary and bury it in a grave yard. If your answers are…creative…I shall get…more creative. Am I understood?"

"Yep. And I'll make it my goal to help you deal with your frustration afterwards." He then quickly took the papers and began reading. I walked over to my closet. Or my supply closet rather. It consisted mainly of amulets, jackets(dark grey or green) and my lovely gun collection. Two shot guns and three pistols. The shot guns were a byproduct of my zombie movie fetish, and the pistols I actually used. I picked up two, one was a normal silenced pistol, which I used for humans. The other was a larger caliber dull point bullet pistol. Which I used on demons. I slipped both into my jacket. I also took a fire amulet out and wrapped it around my wrist.

"Hey…" said Narzeth slowly. "Looks like you better summon something of larger capacity. This looks like the sorta thing that'll get both of us killed."

"And why do you think that?" I asked, hoping that his answer wouldn't match mine.

" Well…this guy has a rep for hating your government right? And he probably has old secrets up in that dead head of his. Any capable group that's planning a revolution would love a guy like him. But mostly…things have been rough recently. Every few nights a new wanna be revolutionist appears." Damn…he's thinking exactly what I thought….and of course…

"That means these anarchists are probably all new recruits to some large scale thing…possibly sent out to test the water…" Okay…now Nazerth…I know you can get it…get to the really, really, REALLY worst case scenario. "Or to distract us while they mobilize…"

"Yes…I concluded the very same." I said. "That's why number 5 was put on this. There's a distinct possibility that all the recent…disturbances have been interrelated. We might be hurling ourselves right into this pretty little spider's web. And there's a part you missed , Nazreth."

"What?" he said irritably. "Look, threatening me isn't going to make my genius anymore amazing."

"Who told him we stopped summoning demons?" I asked. "How could he go five years without realizing what was going on? He was a magician. Why wasn't he removed from his post immediately?"

"So….for a while after the glorious revolution there were…traitors in the government." concluded Nazerth. "But…why would they incite an open rebellion that they knew was going to fail?"

We were getting closer. Closer to the reason number 5 was assigned to this. Closer to the reason why this report is misleading. Closer to finding out that…

" They wanted to see the Resistance in action…" I breathed. "All that…just to see how effective they are?"

"No Mikey…" said Nazreth. " This was your government testing itself. It used this man as a guinea pig. It also created a rather stern warning to other countries. "Two of our magicians destroyed twenty others." Someone in your government wanted to see how good its defenses were. Or just show other how good they are."

"Meh." I said, suffiently summing up my feelings on the matter. "I think we'll be able to figure all of this out after we apprehend him."

The rat man grinned wearily at me. "C'mon boss…at least summon a Djinn along. This sounds like a real hum dinger."

I stared at a pentacle. I had summoned an Afrit on my own once. Not a particularly strong one, but still. An Afrit. Number 5 was capable of summoning a Madrid on his own…but we're still the only ones who know each other's full capabilities. And Kruger…well, no one really got close to him back at the academy. He was always summoning random demons and talking to them. Always so thirsty for knowledge. His time was mostly spent with me and Number 5 though.

Even among orphans there are rejects.

People who are shunned.

People who are feared.

I shook my head slightly to clear it. "No, Nazreth. We do this on our own. More demons usually mess assignments up." And then it hit me what was wrong with the documents. The facts were entirely possible…but it was written as if the writer didn't really understand the concept of time. And there are some very specific beings who don't understand the concept of time.

In the bad old days of magician rule, the best way to find spies was just go to a tavern, or any other form of public house. Most of them were filled with the so called commoners, plotting away at destroying the tyrants ruling over them. And occasionally, real spies and threats would come there, and join the discussions. Usually they offered weapons, sometimes they just wanted information. The enemies of the state pretty much outnumbered the state. And that was just in London . I shudder to think what it was like in France.

These days…in our so called glorious system of equality and freedom, the only real enemies of the state left are rouge magicians. There are still some angry normal people, and despite logic and thinking, normal people who thought life was better under the magicians. But you always get people like that. Usually granted loud voices by evolution.

Where do you start looking for a target? Still the taverns. Hooray for progress. Or bar's, as they are known these days. However, the docks are also a good choice. That's where the rouges get their supplies, so it usually has a well stocked collection of scum. Then there's the street markets…amazing what you find there these days. Banning magical items resulted in a thriving black market. A hidden market. And that's where anyone who wants a revolution starts anyway.

We walked swiftly. Hilary had put on enough make up and color to look like a normal person. I stayed with the mixture of grey and black. Oddly enough, rouge magicians dress in a way that screams "dark, brooding angry rouge magician." Anything to distinguish themselves from normal people. Perhaps we all want something to show after several years of learning how to draw.

We were walking into a less savory area. Specifically, it was poorer. One of the vast swathes of London which hadn't been exposed to the magicians slum clearance measures. Election posters clung to several street lamps.

"So…this is where he was seen last?" Hilary asked, pretending to adjust her lipstick or whatever it is women do.

"Yes." I whispered softly. "Watch out though. He's likely to have friends."

"Yes." She said, snapping her mirror thing close. "I'll cover the bars and hotels. You're too….you for those places."

"I'll do the markets." I agreed. Without another word, I walked off, ignoring the rat running around under my jacket.

*************************************************************************************

Magical markets suffer from false advertising. Especially illegal ones. They are filled with…well, the usual  
flea market things. Fruit and food vendor, random plastic things based on whatever shows the kids loves, car radio's and tools which definitely aren't stolen, second hand goods…

And various items containing trapped demonic entities.

Mostly though, money was made by pretending to sell those items. Then, when your customer complains, you're either long gone or you called us hunters. And we don't like people who try to buy magical items. I approve of this, even if it is a bit dubious. Entrepreneurs make money, we kill people who probably shouldn't be trusted with anything, everyone wins. Except the dead people, but oddly they never complain.

I adopted a slow walk past the stalls, occasionally appraising random stalls. My attire was of course noted on by the people and sure enough-

"Hey." said a hard faced man with extremely large arms. " You're one of them magicians right?" Sigh. More trouble than I expected. Usually, you just encounter people who want to sell you mundane thing.

"Of course not, sir." I winked. " The practice of magic is prohibited, except for licensed government officials ."

"Whatever sparky." He drawled boredly. "Cept this old guy said a magician called Mike Travers would be buy. Said I was supposed to escort him to him."

Ah. I am, it appears, fatally screwed. Or mildly inconvenienced. Either way, someone has too much information about me and my whereabouts. I didn't even know I'd be here until yesterday.

"Very well…take me to this…man." I said, wrapping my fingers around the fire amulet.

"Right this way." he said, leading me past several old and decrepit buildings. He stopped at one at random and pointed inside. I walked in, and heard the door close…no one in…oh.

"Hello again!" said my anarchist friend happily. "I see I'm no longer your target…did the big bad Jared steal your assignment?"

I paused slightly. "How do you know Number 5's real name?" I asked, mouth dry.

"I know quite a lot! More than enough for instance, to work out exactly where you were going to be!" he said gleefully. "Now…your spidermind…because I got you into this mess, I'll give you a hint. Salt!" He laughed again. This wasn't good. Sure, the hint would probably have some worth, but…just who is this?

"Now…the reason I needed you alone _so very badly_ is actually quite simple!" he said. "Your old friend Kruger…is attempting something. Something…which will change the very world. Him and that thrice damned Bartimaues."

"Bartimaues?" I asked vaguely.

"A traitor of the worst kind…." he breathed angrily. "Now…there are only five people in thew hole world who can gain access to that…laboratory. And three never will. Only you and Jared…oh fine, number 5 ever go in. It's surrounded by silver, so magically entering it is impossible…that's why I need you."

Oh well…time to go out in a gamble. "And what do you need me to do…Gabrielle?"

The wide eyes confirmed my guess.


	4. Dog On A Spiked Leash

In mere seconds the suspected demon regained his/her/it's composure. "You've been speaking to Kruger then? Trying to learn about holes? The flaws of air and fire?" the (for purposes of wordly economy) person still to be referred to as the anarchist asked.

I was not, strictly speaking, quite comfortable in my current situation. Con, the most powerful demon ever summoned is within five meters of me, pro, I'm still assessing the situation which implies I've gone insane. Therefore, whatever happens next is irrelevant.

I hate it when logic is useless.

"Something like that." I replied tersely. I had a lot of silver on me, and the silver bullet shooting gun would put this guy down like a werewolf(I've seen it happen)…but something didn't feel right. My contact lenses were custom made and allowed me to see up to five planes. But when I looked at this guy…I saw nothing. No essence, no true form, no hint of magic. Even if his true form was only visible on the seventh plane, I should at least see some distortion around him. Some leakage from the other place.

"Now now Mikey…" continued the anarchist softly. "You're thinking of escape, of getting away? Perhaps of shooting me with one of those delightful silver bullets?"

"It crossed my mind." I admitted. "However, if you really are some demon with godlike powers, I doubt anything I can do will affect you in any way."

"Very good….good…now, conclusions Mikey I want conclusions!" he sang out, madness dancing to the words melody.

"You could have killed me at anytime. You did not. You want me alive for some reason…some reason to do with Kruger and his escapades…"

"Pleonasm!" shouted the anarchist. "You could've said it far better than that!"

"But…here we have a problem." I said, some part of me wondering whether I should share it with the demon or not. Some part of me hoped the demon didn't realize it because it was truly mad…but the other part of me, the part that had wild impulses and guesses, the part which made me a hunter, said no…this demon knew everything I knew and a whole lot more.

"If I get inside the lab…you can't touch me. You admitted yourself that you can't get inside it. Once I'm inside, you have no hold over me." I said softly, wondering what failsafe curse the demon had ready for this.

The demon took out a watch from his coat. For some odd reason the clock hands were whirling around. "Yes…because I'm sure you wouldn't mind spending all forever in a lab with a madman and several pointy objects. Mikey, mikey…you have to realize, when you kill Kruger, it won't be for me."

He grinned and started disappearing, his legs first being replaced by nothing and his torso rapidly following.

"It'll be for you."

I had many things going for me. Or should that be coming for me?

Firstly, a seemingly genocidal demon who makes your average Madrid feel pangs of inadequacy has taken a person interest in me.

Secondly, I was currently supposed to be hunting a man so deranged that he refers to himself as "the spidermind" and intends to destroy a government which has already wiped his forces out with scarcely a metaphorical stretch.

Thirdly, I think a nice little file is being built up on me. Although I doubt anyone could track Gabriele, I'm reasonably certain that all hunters are tracked as a matter of principle.

Who watches the watchers?

Not really sure. All I know is that too often have my superiors been in possession of information which I hadn't shared yet, too often have my superiors condemned me for actions I never informed them that I had done. It happened once, a slight oversight, Farrar mentioning an item of clothing the target had on. Only, I never mentioned it. From then on, I was very careful with the information I gave and realized that while big things were revealed to be known, several details were always present despite me not mentioning them.

What were their eyes? Spheres? Djinn who only appeared on the seventh plane?

And now their eyes had seen me be approached by a violent maniac, who told me to kill someone and then left me wholly intact.

Sure, I hadn't betrayed them openly, but they'll look for codes in everything I said, even in the amount of breaths I took. For the government really, really hated magicians.

Any excuse to kill them, even their own, would be welcome.

I started walking through the docks, sort of enjoying the atmosphere. Large men walked around, some succumbing to the alcohol and turning the streets into a hotel.

Shiny women were also around, offering bodily wares and halting whenever they saw me. Something about my gait screamed government. And to the common people, government still screamed murder.

Democracy ain't got nothing on fear.

Salt…what could salt mean? Gabriele might be deranged, but riddles? Really? I considered a few ways of reinterpreting the word, making associations, using synonyms and generally trying to figure out what amusing connection a mad being could make between salt and a deranged terrorist.

I had cases like that. It's basically pissing on the entire premise of hunting. Know your prey, and you know where to find them. Really, our job has been made a lot easier by some simple laws. One is that it's illegal to own, sell or use chalk. Things like that help.

The other part is realizing what you already know about your prey. Let's check –magical anarchists. They need magical supplies which are severely restricted. So Hilary is checking out the blackmarket, which is practically run by us anyway.

They'll need some way of gathering information on the government. Spies, counterspies, double agents and easily bribed traitors…we use 'em all.

They'll need a quite place where they can actually sit on the floors for a few hours and draw. It'll have to be big. Quite. Secure. Private. Like a salt warehouse.

Turns out demon riddles aren't that creative.

The warehouse glinted ominously. Half concealed patches of light escaped in some place. That's on plane one.

Plane two, some lights and residue.

Plane three...two foilots glaring at me, obviously waiting to see whether I was interested in the warehouse or not.

Plane four…a different lightshow, things really vibrant…

Plane five…the most amazing colors spewing everywhere as the silver bullets ripped through the foilots.

"Come out Nazreth." I said softly. "And if you give me away in anyway, regardless of how intentional it is, I will bind you inside the floor of a tacky dancefloor."

Nazreth grinned. "You sure we should be going in solo boss? These guys may have some really tough guys ready for us."

"Indeed…" I answered, feeling inexplicably reckless. " And yet…at least you'll die with me."

We did the honorable thing.

We knocked.

"Yes?" rasped an unpleasant voice. It appeared to belong to a person who is rarely free of lice. Evil organizations really need better hygiene policies.

"I've been sent by Gabriele." I said, putting all my hope in a stupid guess.

"Ah? More help for the glorious cause then? Come in, come in…" he said, bowing mockingly and letting me in with the cold.

A far more polished voice accosted me next. It came from a far better washed head, so I didn't have infinite complaints.

"You will, of course, be required to prove you are not a hunter. As your appearance seems to be suggesting." He had a bored tint on the end of each of his words. His hair was combed too close to his head, too shiny. He looked like an accountant aiming for overkill.

Not the Japanese ambassador. Far too young for that.

"Gabriele sent me." I repeated, hoping that the name would, at the very least, worry them. The government had no way of knowing Gabriele was back, so they may at the very least be worried about it.

That's when it hit me…how did I instantly know that the anarchist was Gabriele? There were many, countless other demons big enough to do what he does. Yet I knew. I didn't suspect…I knew..

And right now…knocking on a door belonging to a terrorist group? I should have called back up, surrounded the place and joined in the merry slaughter.

A voice in the back of my head laughed.

_Far, far too cleaver. _

Shit…I've enter crazyville, and appear to be passing through the lovely schizophrenia district.

_Or there's a demon inside your head._

I don't think I'll be able to work that into the metaphor…

_Stop worrying. Now, focus. These men are dangerous. But also quite insane. Or at the very least suicidally stupid. Think for a bit…why would Gabriele know where they are? Because he's working with them. Or worked with them. Gabriele only has one goal, and that's to kill Kruger and destroy his laboratory._

"Indeed…" said the cleaner of the two. "He has of course, been invaluable to our cause. With his help, not even the government will be able to oppose us."

He started walking and I started following.

_Now, it seems that Gabriele doesn't need this particular group anymore, so we should be able to just wipe them out._

Without first discovering what Gabriele needed them for, oh voice in my head? And why the hell did we just knock and not get back up? I have no idea which broken part of my personality you represent, but you're clearly not a team player.

_The government can no longer be trusted. All that is still important is that Kruger finishes his work._

Well, at the very least, you're against Gabriele. The warehouse was indeed stacked with huge sacks of salt. We were walking for quite a while until we came to an illuminated center where two men and a woman were sitting. The guy who led me took a seat on the left. The lice guy stood in the corner.

"Hey voice" I thought irritably. "Why couldn't Gabriele just say "salt warehouse"? Salt wasn't really a riddle of any kind."

_He's a demon and probably under many orders. Gabriele always was adept at finding loopholes and then viciously killing all in the surrounding continent. _

Wonderful. A part of my personality(probably fragmented at some point, I knew all the sarcasm would have bad end results) thinks he knows an age old continent sinking demon.

"Ahhh…" said the man sitting in the middle, dressed in a fine suit. "A new recruit who wants to help return us to the age of glory…sit, sit lad."

I sat, and glanced around me. All suits and faux style. We were sitting in a warehouse surrounded by huge sacks.

The man on the far left, looked me over. Thankfully Nazareth knew enough to climb out of my jacket and strike a pose. Technically, hunters didn't "use" magic. Those who saw us use magic…well, it was usually the last things they saw.

"A foilot?" he sneered. "You will need better than that to help us topple the government."

"You have two outside." I noted, careful not to let the have turn into a mocking had.

"Mere guards." Said the ambassador. "Replaceable."

The look Nazareth gave me clearly indicated he was glad we were going to be killing them.

The women leered at me. "So…why did Gabriele think we would need you?"

_We don't want to offend them yet, so repress your personality. We need to strike in one swift motion and take them all out. Classic us. Ready kid?_

I was still not sure how balanced this voice was. Our actions have been inconsistent from my view point and perfectly fine from his. I'm guessing we took out the foilots to ensure that whatever was watching me wouldn't be noticed. But I can't pull that trick on four people simultaneously with just a foilot to back me up.

"I assume because he didn't think five people can destroy a government. Six however….now that's a sure thing." I answered, probably because I was annoyed at the voice.

_Nice kid. How about referring to your sexual success with their mothers? I'm sure that'll go over just as well._

"What I'm wondering however, is why Gabriele would send a hunter right into our midst?" asked the man on the far left, now grinning at me.

I turned to the man and kept my features neutral. "Maybe because they are tired of being controlled by the government." I offered. It wasn't convincing, but to be fair, I don't usually talk to my enemies. Except to comment on how dead they were. Maybe a pun if the situation provided something irresistible.

"Or maybe because he knows how we like to play with our prey." Said the woman, and her finger began to move. A signal to whatever demon she had on tap.

_Go Time. _

My body moved and one hand was pointed at the man and the women. A sneer was forming on the Japanese Ambassador's face. Some comment like "Aren't there supposed to be guns in your hands?" or some other fantastic display of witlessness was undoubtedly about to fly from his mouth.

Two detonations, one from each hand, flew from my hands and most likely killed the man and woman instantly. Before going through the proper expressions of surprise my body turned once more and fired two detonations straight at the ambassador. A warrior in golden armor appeared and took the blasts directly in his chest.

_Higher level Djinn. Quite strong. Your turn._

My left hand withdrew a silver knife, my right my favorite pistol. Somehow I also noticed that the comb freak was moving away.

_Later. Now, behind._

I swirled and shot the lice guy four times. Silver, whilst a metal was not really the best material to make bullets out of. Still, most people have trouble surviving with holes in them.

_Duck. Stab._

I threw myself to the floor as the warriors's inferno missed me. I jumped and attempted to stab the Djinn but he went invisible.

_Higher plane. Guess I'll be your glasses kid._

Color sprang out of everything. I glanced at Nazareth who was scuttling towards the Japanese ambassador in the form of the crab. Guess the guy thought the Djinn would be able to deal with me.

_Now, don't look directly at him. As far as he knows, he's only visible on the seventh plane which you have no way of seeing._

The warriors was moving slowly towards me, obviously relishing the chance to decapitate me. He stood right next to me, raised his sword.

And got a lovely silver knife right in the place where his "throat" was.

He jumped back, ripped it out and I was certain he was about to unleash all hell on me when-

"Sorry….did you need that?" asked Nazareth, showing the Japanese Ambassador his newly removed heart and grinning sinisterly at me.

The Djinn disappeared. Luckily he didn't appear to have any after death clauses in his contract. Most magicians usually have one like "hunt and kill whoever killed me".

_One guy left._

Yeah. And then I can finally figure out what this voice is. All else, even your own sanity, is second to the mission.

_Appeared a bit young to be an anarchist really. Our usual targets are about your age or older._

Guess it might just be my subconscious…can a body to that? Lots of people need someone to bounce their ideas off…maybe my mind figures that this would help me survive.

Only one thing was for sure…I might understand how criminals think, but I understand NOTHING of psychology.

"So you're thinking…one of Gabriele's orphans?" I thought at the voice.

_Most likely. It would be an ideal trade. But they obviously didn't realize Gabriele meant the Gabriele. Or they were completely insane. _

They couldn't have summoned him. That takes at least twelve people. How did you know the anarchist was him anyway?

_Met him. He wasn't the only demon on Atlantis. He spared most of us. _

That's lovely. I'm sure the rubble of Atlantis was thrilled.

_Present kid. Looks like you don't really need chalk._

I stared at the grinning(yet still very clean) guy who stood in front of me. I looked around and realized the entire warehouse was inside a pentagram constructed of salt.

Unlike chalk, the wind would probably break several of the enchantments and wordbonds in a single blow, but these guys weren't winning any sanity contests anyway. We were near the entrance so it appeared that part was left unfinished until he ran here.

_He must be damn fast with salt._

I took out two of my pistols and aimed them at him. "You can't summon faster than a bullet…" I said, but I knew it was useless. Nazareth jumped out and tackled the first Foilot he sent to me and I had to move for a second to avoid and shoot the second.

He put the summoning horn to his mouth.

He blew.

Ah, Insanity. It could do as much for me against a Madrid as a hundred foilots. I'm guessing that the other four already completed the summoning up to the point where all this guy had to do was blow. I didn't really want to know how we were getting out of this one.

_Kid, we gotta get that summoning horn from him. You know how to reverse the summoning once we have it right?_

"Yes." I thought back. And moved. He had to give out orders before the Madrid could obey them. The guy grinned and started running.

A shape appeared in the centre of the pentagram. It was an inferno. It was black heat. Grinning, in the form of an archangel, the Madrid stepped outside the pillar of flame. Unlike Djinn, and even Afrits, these guys are almost never summoned. Most of them are only used in the most dangerous of battles and attacks. This one may even have never been summoned before. I got off two shots but the guy managed to dodge them.

"Protect me!" yelled the man, grinning at his victory. "Kill the hunter."

The Madrid looked at me and smiled. "Gabriele sends his regards." He walked over to the corpses (or what was left of them anyway) and took out a packet of cigarettes.

He threw them to me.

The Madrid then turned and grinned at the man who was still running and causally fired a detonation which removed his left leg.

_Maybe it's the first time the horn is being used…_

Maybe. Or maybe you shouldn't use a weapon provided by a demon you've just betrayed.

"I said kill him! Protect me!" yelled the man, sprawled in a pile of blood on the floor.

"Those things will kill him." Grinned the Madrid. "Eventually. And you are so much easier to protect now that you've stopped running."

The man had enough. He started muttering the words to some punishment I didn't recognize. We weren't really encouraged to use them. Anyway sort of display of power over another was discouraged.

_Nasty one. Gonna stretch his essence and punch holes in it._

The Madrid kept grinning at the man however. When the guy finished, he muttered something and I caught the name "Jeffery".

I was then treated to the horrible sight of them man being stretched and perforated.

_Looks like you can't handle that as well as we can. Oh well…Madrid knew his birth name._

The Madrid turned to me again. He was still grinning. He threw me the summoning horn. "Get me out of this place. And tell Bartimaeus… Endar wishes him luck."

I muttered the enchantment, careful not to miss a syllable. With one swift movement, I broke the horn across my knee.

The Madrid, still grinning, waved goodbye.

I called for clean up and to confirm that the targets were dead. But I didn't really care about that.

I wanted answers.

Kruger had some.

_Nice job kid. You know, this works better than me just nudging you. I'm gonna ask them if we can keep it like this. Makes this less boring as well._

And if he doesn't have all of them, hopefully a mind doctor will.

I stepped outside the laboratory. The silver door opened. I was supposed to be reporting in first, but I'll probably be excused. This was important.

Kruger was setting on a leather chair, reading, next to the spattered remains of a corpse.

"You're not clean up." Was all he said before returning his attention to his book.

"Indeed not…Had some trouble?" I asked, sitting in the chair opposite him.

"Not really…" said Kruger, closing the book after carefully marking his place. "Second attempt on my life this week. Gabriele is getting desperate."

"Yeah…he pretty much asked me to off you earlier today. So…how long have you known that Gabriele was alive and strolling around the guise of an anarchist?" I asked. Kruger almost always knew everything. Seeing him surprised was something only me and number 5 are ever privileged with.

"Not in the guise…that man used to be one of my lab assistants. Gabriele originally took over his body in an attempt to kill me. The idea was that the man's body would protect him from the silver we are currently surrounded with. However, his essence is simply too large to be fully contained. That's why he isn't using magic currently. His power would rip the body to shreds." Answered Kruger, accepting a cup of tea from a stone gargoyle, which grinned at me.

"Why does he need to stay in that body?" I asked, as I sent Nazareth to go fetch me a cup as well. Luckily I had already briefed him extremely thoroughly on no poisoning clauses.

"In order to effectively work with humans. It took him years to build up a reputation amongst our anarchists and magical rebels. They all know him by various names. The delightfully insane spidermind you dealt with today actually knew him as Gabriele. It probably amused him. Or her.I will never understand how you genders work Bartimaeus. " He said, looking at the gargoyle.

"Too many tentacles." Was all the gargoyle replied, settling himself comfortably on the couch.

"As you have noticed, "continued Kruger "they also displeased Gabriele considerably. He gave them enough resources to launch a decent attack on this laboratory, but the Japanese Ambassador, in a classic power hungry fit, decided that he would use what he was given as he saw fit. He merely saw Gabriele as a glorified pirate, who was capable of moving more magical items than anyone else in the world. Certainly not as someone who puts most Madrids to shame."

That reminded me. The demon Kruger had at his side was this Bartimaeus I kept hearing about. I caught his attention.

"Endar wishes you good luck." I said.

The gargoyle laughed. "Yeah…he was a funny one, Endar. We fought together back in war against Gilgamesh. Always misinterpreting his orders at the opportune moment. Any chance of him becoming a sleeper?" he asked, looking at Kruger.

"No," he answered. "Too powerful, too lighthearted. And so Gabriele allowed you to exterminate them, no doubt first informing Endar of the orphan's birth name." Kruger paused. "We have a worthy opponent."

Bartimaeus blanched. "I prefer incompetent ones."

"And another thing…" I said, coming to the point I was dreading. "Can…something like Gabriele snap you mind? Posses you in some manner?"

Kruger sat bolt upright. "I think…you may have…oh well. We can just wipe the relevant memories."

"Yeah. Zerag? You awake?" asked Bartimaeus.

"_You know it. This guy figured it out. I got a bit heavy handed at being his intuition." _Answered my mouth.

Kruger sat back. "Indeed…this, of course, violates several of our rules…you are expressly forbidden to directly contact or posses your hunter in any situation which does not constitute a genuine emergency."

"_Guy was convinced he was going insane. In the middle of a bunch of guys who wanted to kill him. Pretty sure that's an emergency." _Replied my mouth, or rather, replied this Zerag through my mouth.

"Very well." Said Kruger, sipping tea. "We will overlook it. Wipe the relevant memories. Make him think we were only discussing this case."

"Wait..." I spat. Literally. I had to fight for control of my mouth. "What the hell is going on here?"

My mouth was wrested away from me again.

"_No can do. This works far better than the whole me being his subconscious thing."_ Answered Zerag.

"Meaning it's more fun." Smirked Bartimaeus, how appeared to sympathize.

"_And come on."_ Continued Zerag. "_This is my third hunter. You guys have barely made any progress because you have to keep fighting Gabriele. Me and this guy…we can take her out."_

"So Gabriele is a she…" said Kruger thoughtfully, completely messing up the priority chain.

"And maybe you can tell me what the fuck is going on." I pointed out, hoping profanity (one of Kruger's many dislikes) would snap his attention back to the friend he's been seemingly brainwashing.

Kruger looked at me. "You'll have to keep quiet about this. It goes against all regulations." He sighed. "But regulations have been aiding Gabriele in this battle for far too long."

"_Excellent!" _said Zerag happily. "_You have no idea how many great one liners I had to let this guy say because I couldn't say them myself."_

"Hey!" I answered. "I had great one liners long before I became a hunter! You are probably responsible for the drop in quality I've been noticing!"

Before Zerag could retort, Kruger held up a hand for silence. "In summation Mike…Zerag is a demon who has been summoned inside of you."

His people skills still suck.

_Tell me about it._

"All our modern magicians are trained in different phases. The weaker ones are sent to be guards and scientists. The stronger ones, like me, yourself and number five, are sent on a number of grueling aptitude tests. The most powerful ones then form part of the Resistance, but that is only one in about every fifty. You were considered, but they thought you too unstable."

He paused, and seemed to collect his thoughts.

"You then entered the hunter training program, which as you remember, we all took together. My aptitude for science only became apparent later. Now…Bartimaeus here was then in the employ of the head of the resistance, a woman I only know as number 0. Together, they formed a contract with demons. Basically, we would agree to no longer summon demons for anything other than self defense against other magicians or to kill other magicians. In return for this, demons would actively aid us, instead of the previous passive aid, forced by wordbonds. We were also required to free demons from being trapped inside items to power them, amongst other things. Hence our increasing dependence on technology. "

"The original hunters, were merely very talented magicians who did what their name implies. However, soon it became apparent that out hunters needed to be…closely monitored. Part of this came from the fact that the hunters tended to defect quite often. It's a tough life, and many are seduced by tales of when magicians reigned supreme. So Number 0 and Bartimaeus thought up a plan. You of course, remember the stories of the glorious demon revolution."

I nodded, briefly remembering how a group of magicians were actually dumb enough to summon demons inside their own bodies.

"Willing demons, selected by Bartimaeus, were chosen to be summoned inside their hunters. The demons were then summoned inside you mind and allowed to decide whether or not they were compatible. You went through multiple partners until a demon decided you were the one for him."

_Meaning my kind of crazy._

"You, if I remember correctly, were on you ninth demon before Zerag decided you two would do well together. Once the demons decided on a host, they were to subconsciously aid you and, in extreme situations, take over you bodies and get you to safety. Afterwards they would wipe the relevant memories from your minds.

"However, if the hunter defects, they were ordered to wipe out all evidence that the hunter ever was a hunter, and all possible information the hunter may have of his previous life and his allies. They are then to leave the host body, and if possible, to destroy the traitor."

"Why not just completely destroyed their minds?" I asked.

"Because of the sultry mistress known as temptation." Answered Bartimaeus. "In the trial phases, many of the demons would become annoyed at their hunters presumed stupidity and destroy their minds so they can take over.

"There have also been some causes of complete betrayal" said Kruger, glaring at Bartimaeus.

"Hey! He seemed like a swell guy when I met him in Greece!" replied the gargoyle.

"You later admitted he dismembered his targets and danced around their corpses while waiting for them to die. He then returned in the guise of their allies and pretend that he could save them, only to dismember whatever limbs remained." Said Kruger tersely.

"It was funny at the time." Said Bartimaeus. "Admittedly, it didn't age well but that story proves-

"So the demons have to have some restrictions." I interrupted. "No blatant mind destroying and things like that?"

"Basically. They maintain some order and cannot directly hurt you. We also attempted to insure that they cannot indirectly hurt you, but as Bartimaeus keeps reminding me, there are always, ALWAYS loopholes. "

I started rearranging the facts in my mind. "So…most of my targets?"

"Are ex-hunters…indeed, the problem is caused by the solution. Up the 3 out of 7 hunters turn. The demon's influence…or perhaps, like you…they fear insanity. I do not know. All I know is you have to be careful. Do not tell anyone what you know. Zerag...you'll have to be far more observant. For both your sakes."

I was really running late for my meeting with Farrar, but I had to figure out the last piece of the puzzle.

"Why does Gabriele want to kill you and Bartimaeus so badly? Most of the other demons actually seem to support what you're doing." I asked.

"Hmmm…a story for another time." Said Kruger. "But rest assured, most demons would support us completely. Only the…more vengeful ones like Gabriele would want to stop us."

"All right." I said, standing up, still ignoring the coffee Nazareth was offering. There was always a loophole, even if it was only getting me coffee when I wanted tea.

_Not mad kid? Most people wouldn't like their body being turned into a motel._

I'm not mad for the same reason Kruger knows he doesn't need to wipe my mind. I live to hunt. You make me a better hunter. I would be mad if he tried to remove you from me.

_I actually am removed from you whenever you go on vay kay. Although your body protects my essence, I still need to go to the other place now and then to recharge._

All right. I started walking towards the door.

"Mike…" said Kruger, and I saw that his hands were shaking. "Although it was necessary…required…and indeed, may have saved your life several times, I still betrayed you in this."

I turned to him. "Wanna know how you can make up for it?" I asked, surprised that he actually still felt emotion.

He nodded.

"Change the orders of the demons. When they wipe the hunters minds, make sure they leave all their skill intact. My job has been too easy lately."

_Hell yeah kid! I knew you were my kind of crazy!_


End file.
